Cruise Freebies – Get Free Stuff on a Cruise Ship!
If you love hopping on a cruise ship and you love to get free stuff, I’m here to tell you some of the best freebies and perks on a cruise and some cruise hacks to find out what’s included on your cruise. Read to the end for a freebie from me to help you plan your future cruises!
Avoid These Cruise Ship Booking Mistakes in 2025
Are you thinking about making a cruise booking? I can help you to avoid cruise problems by showing you ten cruise ship booking mistakes to avoid. Keep watching to the end for five bonus mistakes to avoid once you’re onboard.
Carry On Packing List For Traveling Overseas
Have you wondered whether you could pack carry on only for travelling overseas? I went through my carry-on packing list for two weeks overseas, so you can see what I packed. I have carry-on packing tips and more! Join this committed baggage checker in learning how to pack it all in carry-on luggage only!
Oceania Insignia Cruise Ship Review
We’ve just taken a cruise that we weren’t sure if we’d enjoy – and at our advanced ages it was for an unusual reason. For years we’ve wanted to incorporate a cruise into our regular visits to New York, and this cruise, combined with Michael’s love of photography during the autumn foliage seasons, seemed to fit the bill.
We loved the look of the port heavy itinerary, with six ports in Canada and four in the USA, ending in New York. And the time of year was perfect for us.
But we also knew that Oceania tends to have an older set of passengers, and while we aren’t spring chickens ourselves, we wondered if we would feel too young.
LEVEL UP Your Cruise – Things To Do FIRST
You just want to relax and enjoy your cruise, right? I’m going help you by giving you nine things to do first when you get to your cruise cabin, to make it your home from home while you’re cruising. I have cruise cabin hacks and organisation tips, so you can have your best cruise ever! I have plenty of cruise advice for first timers here, so you can have your best cruise right from the start.
Which Cruise Line is the Best?
Are you wondering which cruise line is the best for you? I’m going to tell you all about the different types of cruise line and compare them so you can decide which cruise line you should choose.
What’s In My Bag – MINIMALIST EDC Essentials
Do you want to know what’s in my handbag? I try to have a minimalist approach to my everyday carry essentials so for anyone who loves EDC, minimalism and handbags – or purses – keep reading! I’ve identified 41 items that I carry in my handbag in different scenarios. I try to keep the items I carry to a minimum and select small, lightweight versions of everything. I’m not claiming to be a minimalist, but I suffer from shoulder and neck pain so the lighter my bag the better. And to help those outside Australia, here we tend to call all women’s fashion type bags “handbags”, rather than shoulder bags, clutches, etc. And they are never called “purses”. A purse is something you keep your coins in! The items I carry My car key Like most car keys these days it’s big and chunky. I know that some car keys can be programmed onto a smart phone so the sooner Audi do that in Australia the better, then I can leave this at home! Driver licence Whether I’m driving or not this is my primary form of identification, so I always have this on me. Trolley key I use this to unlock supermarket trolleys, so I don’t have to carry a coin. I never carry cash, and I got caught so many times before I got this. Breath mints This one is up for review. I really don’t need them very often, but this is a tiny, slim holder – I think Michael got it from an animal welfare conference in New Zealand about 15 years ago! Canadian travel charm Maybe I’m superstitious but a friend gave me this good luck charm for travellers many years ago and I’ve carried it ever since. Costco card Costco cards can’t go in my iPhone wallet, so I’m stuck with this one. I could keep it in the glovebox of the car since I only ever go there in the car so this might get eliminated! Emergency $20 note I don’t use cash in Australia at all. This became part of my carry about 10 years ago when I let my car run out of petrol. NRMA – roadside assistance – brought me a can of petrol but I needed $20 cash to pay for it! I had to borrow from the business I’d stopped outside of, luckily, they were nice enough to lend it, even though they didn’t know me. It was a plumbing business, and we’ve used them for our plumbing issues ever since. And yes, I did repay them! Fold up shopping bag To avoid excessive consumption of disposable bags. Glasses screwdriver To tighten those tiny little screws when the arms of my glasses start flapping around. House key Just the one. I don’t feel the need to carry every key I possess. I always wonder why people have to carry big bunches of keys, like an olden day’s prison warden. Safe key More of a money tin really – we just keep left over international currency in there between trips. Nothing major, it’s more so we know where it is than for security! I keep the key with me for security though, rather than need. Hand cream This tiny container is perfect – I like things as flat as possible. I refill it with a fairly thick cream – a runny one might leak. Lip balm No explanation necessary! Anker magsafe power bank For phone low power emergencies – that time I ran out of petrol I’d also forgotten to charge my phone, and I didn’t have a charger in the car. Another thing the nice plumbing business lent me was a charger! Rolling Square InCharge X xmall charging cable I can use it to charge anything USB C, Micro USB or lightning if there is a USB A or C outlet to plug into. The MagSafe power bank can give my iPad a tiny charge using this cable, if I’m really desperate! Nasal decongestant I tend to get a stuffy nose quite a lot. Pen Always good to have. I have a LAMY Safari pen I bought in Japan, but it’s a bit big and chunky. I love it but I’m thinking of getting a small pen like a Fisher Space Pen or something made for EDC. The pens above are NOT to scale! Hand sanitiser Even before Covid I usually had it but now it’s more important than ever. Shout wipe If you’ve seen my video on packing for a six-week trip you’ll know I tend to be a bit of a messy eater. Small mirror This is the tiniest mirror I’ve ever found. I got it, well we got two of them, at an animal welfare conference in Washington DC in 2011. It was a gimmick – “looking into this will show you who can save these animals” kind of thing. But I’ve carried one ever since for makeup touch ups – it’s all I need and so tiny! Small scrunchie When it’s hot and sticky and I’m out and about my hair annoys me so when I’m about to go completely mad I get this out and pull my hair back. It looks awful but sometimes that just doesn’t matter! Small tin of medications Just a few painkillers, antihistamines and antacid tablets. I wrap the scrunchie around this, so they’re always together. The tin is from some souvenir breath mints I bought at George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon. Smart AirCard I bought these from a Kickstarter, they work the same as Air Tags, but they’re flat so easier to carry in small pouches and bags. Sunglasses But not very often since I can’t drive in them or read my phone in them. And only when its sunny of course! I keep them in this soft pouch, which doubles as a lens cloth. SwissCard NailCare From the makers of Swiss Army knives and with similar functions. This one doesn’t have a blade, but it does
2025 long vacation packing list
See my complete packing list and what’s in my bag as I pack for a six-week holiday and hear what I learned and what I should NOT have packed! We are travelling by air from Australia to Canada for two nights in Montreal, then cruising on Oceania Insignia through Canada and New England, arriving in New York. We spend two weeks in New York before hopping on Norwegian Prima for a cruise to Bermuda. We spend two more nights in New York then fly home to Australia. What would you pack? Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalise a purchase. Clothes Handbag and EDC Tech Makeup Toiletries Health and comfort Cruise essentials Miscellaneous
Never do these 20 things in your cruise ship cabin
Like anything in life, cruising has things you shouldn’t do – particularly in your cabin. I have 20 of these and I’ll also include some clever tricks to help you enjoy your cruise.
10 things NOT TO PACK for a cruise – what to bring instead
Did you know that many items are banned on cruise ships? And they might not be what you expected! Did you also know that the cruise ship will have some essentials, so you won’t need to bring them? I’m going to tell you about 10 items you should NOT bring on a cruise, but to make up for it, at the end I’ll give you six items that will become YOUR cruise essentials! Iron or clothes steamer What? I can’t take an iron or steamer onboard? But my clothes are wrinkled! Cruise lines don’t like things that heat up being taken onboard, for fire and safety reasons. So don’t pack that travel iron or steamer. Some ships have a passenger laundry with an iron you can use, some offer ironing services (at a cost!) or you can use a wrinkle release spray – I’ll link one in the description. But I reduce my travel load by not bringing a spray and just hanging clothes in the bathroom while we shower. The steam usually helps all the wrinkles drop out! Coffee maker or kettle I can’t imagine that anyone would do this but according to stories online, people do sometimes stash their Nespresso machine in their luggage! But like the irons and steamers, coffee machines and kettles are also forbidden! I know, I love my tea, so it’s a bit of a bummer but there are options. Sometimes the room steward can provide a kettle although a coffee machine is unlikely to be available. Or you can get tea and coffee from the buffet. And on some ships, you get complimentary breakfast room service so you can order your early morning hot drink, and have it brought to you – I can’t say this is my preferred option because the tea arrives too strong and stewed but I can always send Michael out to the buffet! Beach towels Hang on! What’s wrong with beach towels? Surely they aren’t banned? No, of course not but when it comes to beach towels it’s unnecessary to fill your luggage with them because the ship will provide them! Sometimes you need to check them out with your cruise card and if you don’t return them, you’ll be charged. Or sometimes you can just grab them from a pile for free. In beach ports you’re allowed to take them off the ship too – just make sure you return them! Clothes hangers Clothes hangers aren’t banned either but again you can save your luggage space by requesting them from your room steward. We don’t go overboard on the clothes we bring so I never have to do this, but maybe for a longer cruise you might find it necessary. Of course, you can buy folding travel hangers but why waste the space and lug extra weight? Spirits Most cruise lines permit passengers to bring wine and soft drinks onboard, subject to certain limits. But spirits, such as whiskey, gin, vodka and tequila, are a no no. There’s lots of information online about smuggling them aboard but why risk it? You can be fined, refused embarkation and even banned for life! Toiletries This is a bit of an iffy one. The ship will have toiletries onboard for you to use. However, depending on the cruise line and your cabin type they may not be the best quality. I don’t mind using liquid soap and body lotion from the cruise line, but I’d never use the shampoo! If there’s a separate conditioner, I’d use that but mostly they have a combination shampoo and conditioner that does a really poor job of both tasks! Make sure you read online reviews or even contact the cruise line directly to find out what they provide and only bring what you need. Candles or incense By now you can probably see that the cruise lines don’t like fire or safety risks, so I probably don’t need to tell you that candles and incense are also banned! Remember that your luggage will be scanned before it’s brought onboard, and anything banned will be taken from you. There should be an opportunity to get it back when the cruise ends but don’t bet on it! Snacks Snacks are another one that’s in the “why bother” category. One thing you’ll never be on a cruise ship is hungry! And if you like to have some snacks in your room you can always take a zip lock bag or two to the buffet and save some for later! Expensive jewellery In my video on travel safety for women I said that flashy clothing and expensive jewellery shouldn’t be taken and that applies to cruising too. Not only do you run the risk of having items lost or stolen; by wearing them you can attract unwanted attention. Thieves or pickpockets in port may think you’re likely to be carrying lots of cash and target you. Or they may just go for the jewellery you’re wearing. And putting it in the cruise cabin safe isn’t necessarily going to work – there are heaps of videos online showing how to get into those safes without the passcode – how do you think hotels or cruise lines open them when travellers leave them locked? Too many clothes This isn’t something I’m guilty of – I have a fairly simple wardrobe – just a few dresses and layering pieces and accessories for different climates and situations. But some people think they need a different outfit for dinner every night, something different to wear each day, and a tonne of shoes to go with it all! Just remember, people don’t really notice what other people wear! And unless you’re in a particularly hot and sweaty climate you can re-wear your clothes. I don’t wash clothes (not including underwear of course!) unless they are dirty, or they smell. It’s actually hard on your clothes being washed so by not washing them you give them a longer life! I’ve seen stories of people
